Main Street | 2018 + 1939 | DTLA
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This is downtown Main Street, looking south from old Republic Street. There are two distinct buildings in the background: LA City Hall, the pyramid-shaped tower, was completed in 1928. It took three years to build - it was formed with sand taken from each of California’s 58 counties and water from its 21 missions- and was the tallest building in the city until 1964. It underwent extensive recent renovations and now has an observation deck on the 27th floor, offering unobstructed views of the city
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The second building is the US Federal Courthouse, which originally housed the post office as well. It was constructed between 1937-1940 and originally called for a 15-story building, but upon completion Congress allocated funds for the addition of two more stories and a penthouse - you can see the difference in the above photos. The post office moved to another site in 1965 and the US District Courts took over the space. It has hosted a number of notable cases: paternity cases against Clark Gable and Charlie Chaplin; a breach of contact suit filed by Bette Davis against Warner Bros Studio; the House Un-American Activities Committee met in the building in 1947 to gather info on Hollywood personalities suspected of communist involvement; and the 1973 federal government case against Daniel Ellsberg for leaking the Pentagon Papers. In 2016, a new federal courthouse opened across from the LA Times Building - a $350 million glass building. This view is from Main Street and Arcadia Street #fLAshbackLA